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This is the time of year where everything happens at once! So in order to keep up with myself I end up writing endless lists and consulting my calendar, checking hatching dates, when I need to sort out brooders, where the new growers will go...and despite all my efforts to be organised, usually I am led astray by a beguiling broody or two!:roll:

Talking of broodys, the Muscovies are detirmined to have ducklings this year, it is a battle of wills, and me hunting down their nest sites, here is the latest one in our chiminea!

So far this year I am ahead of myself when it comes to hatching, certainly compared to last year. I have some nice young growers in the large salmons now 4 weeks old, would like to take them outside in the nursery shed, however the forecast is back down to the minuses, so I worry the change from a nice central heated spare room to a cold shed (albeit with heat) might be a bit much, or am I fussing too much? More good news...19 eggs are due next weekend, from my large salmon breeding pens, really excited as this is the earliest I have ever hatched large salmons. I am also hoping to get the bantams started in April, hopefully this year will also see the culmination of my attempts at making bantam blue salmons.

Thanks to Nigel Retallack will be hatching from my new bantam black cockerel who I have named Jack Sparrow, a lovely boy very tame with a huge personalty! He loves to follow me around...calling his new girls to follow!

Some photos of my latest chicks below.. from this year, unusually 4 out of 5 are pullets, normally my ratio favours the boys..no doubt this will even out as hatching progresses..